15 Seconds
by kc78
Summary: It only took 15 seconds for their friendship to hit the rocks but in 15 seconds Miller and Burk will make up. Set after S4x01. (Complete)


_15 seconds..._

* * *

Miller walked into the gym and found Burk pummelling a punching bag. He wondered if he should just turn around and walk away. But decided against it. He'd given Burk space and all he had gotten was the cold shoulder and angry glares.

"What me to steady the bag?" he offered. Burk shook his head, not speaking nor did he make eye contact as he kept throwing punches at the bag like it had offended him. Miller ignored him anyway, moved behind the bag and pushed it into a steady space.

"Get out of my space." Burk told him.

"Maybe you should be hitting me instead of that bag." Miller commented, he ducked as Burk threw a kick that nearly clocked him in the head.

"What?" Burk asked, pausing to wipe the sweat from his upper lip.

"Bro, you've been ignoring me ever since what happened in Rota." Miller said putting it out there.

"No, I haven't" Burk lied as he started punching the bag again.

"Yeah, you have and I let it go as I figured you wanted space but the cold shoulder bullshit has got to stop. It's starting affect the team. So come, let's have it out here and now." Miller told him, he held his ground as Burk was putting a lot of unneccesary force into his punches.

"I got nothing to say." Burk replied as he landed another punch.

"I heard he lost his leg." Miller said as he held the bag in place. He grunted as Burk punched the bag hard.

"Not interested in talking." Burk told him.

"What I don't get is why you're pissed at me. Tell me what I did wrong?" Miller demanded.

"You just stood there. I stood there- 15 seconds from when that kid stepped under the boom gate. We stared at that kid before he detonated his vest. 15 seconds, we stood there as dumb shits. Now Cameron's career is over and he's lost a leg because we were dumb shits who didn't see the kid for what he was." Burk said, stepped away from the bag to breathe as he couldn't stop the horrible memory playing over and over in his head.

"He was just a kid. How could we have done anything differently?" Miller asked him.

"He should've been kept behind the boom gate, he should've been pat down. Hell, you should've known he was strapped." Burk shouted at him angrily. He knew it was irrational but he was angry and upset for his brother.

"How? in all my training and 4 yr career, I've never seen a suicide bomber until that night. I've been taught to identify enemy combatants who are my age and wearing a different uniform." Miller pointed out to him in a calm voice that only pissed Burk off. It pissed him off as Miller was right. "Not kids, we were blindsided and it sucks but you gotta let it go." Miller added, he looked so torn about the events of the night as much Burk did.

"Let it go?" Burk scoffed.

"Yeah, your brother is alive. But he and a lot of others aren't going to stay that if we can't get those seeds. We need you but not like this. So you gotta deal with it now and let it go cause stowing it; is not working." Miller told him.

"Maybe, but I keep thinking of those 15 seconds and how Ravit was right, nothing changes. We survived a pandemic and are enduring a famine right now. But instead of rallying together to solve our common problem; to feed everyone...we just keep killing one another. I keep wondering where the payoff is. When will it get better?" Burk demanded in bitter disappointment.

"I don't know," Miller said quietly as he too felt the hits they were taking. The never ending battle to keep saving humanity and how there never was an end in sight. But he remained optimistic because he didn't want to believe this was there was.

"Yeah, exactly. But, I do realise I've been an ass to you. I'm sorry." Burk told him, as he knew he'd unfairly been taking his anger out on Miller.

"Are we going to hug it out?" Miller asked, with a smile, Burk snorted a laugh as the kid was a joker.

"No." Burk told firmly, the tiniest of smiles playing on his lips as Miller was the most forgiving guy he knew.

"Awh, come on, I need some lovin' Bro. Bring it in." Miller said with his arms out wide and a grin.


End file.
